BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Outside a busy King Soopers in Broomfield, volunteers are ringing bells and greeting shoppers as part of a decades-long effort to raise money for neighbors in need during the holiday season.
Richard Butler
Bill Duclos – Salvation Army, Broomfield Advisory Council President
The Salvation Army relies on donations from its annual red kettle campaign to support local families struggling with rising costs, including rent, utilities, groceries and holiday gifts for children and seniors.
“All the money that’s raised here goes into the local Salvation Army to support their local community,” said Capt. Miguel Morales with the Salvation Army’s Broomfield Corps.
Morales said demand for assistance has increased as expenses continue to rise, making community support more important than ever during the holidays.
Helping make that support possible are volunteers from the Foothills Kiwanis Club of Boulder Valley, which has partnered with the Salvation Army for decades. Members of the club say they have been bell-ringing since at least 1984, raising nearly three-quarters of a million dollars for local programs.
Bob Mohling, a Kiwanis member and Salvation Army advisory board volunteer, said he first started ringing bells decades ago.
Richard Butler
“I started ringing the bell in 1975, so this is my 50th year of ringing the bell,” Mohling said.
The Foothills Kiwanis Club focuses on service projects that support children and families, including scholarships, youth programs and community partnerships. One of its largest commitments each year is the Salvation Army’s holiday kettle campaign.
Volunteers fill shifts from the week before Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, ringing bells six days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
One of the people helping organize those efforts is Bill Duclos, a Kiwanis member and president of the Salvation Army Broomfield Advisory Council. In addition to ringing bells himself, Duclos coordinates the volunteer schedule at the King Soopers location.
“We know where the money is going and where the funds are going from this kettle. It’s going to help the local community, it’s going to help kids, it’s going to help folks that need it,” said Duclos.
Duclos said he got involved after retiring about six years ago and looking for ways to give back to the community. Last year, Duclos said the single kettle at the King Soopers location raised about $25,000. He says even small donations add up to make a meaningful difference.
Richard Butler
Bill Duclos – Salvation Army, Broomfield Advisory Council President
Morales said Duclos’ impact goes beyond the holidays. Saying Duclos volunteers year-round, helping with events, community programs and facility projects at the Salvation Army’s Broomfield community center.
“Bill is very warm. He’s a great coach, he’s compassionate,” said Morales.
Mohling said Duclos’ leadership and commitment help keep volunteers engaged and programs running.
“It is a team effort, but Bill has really been active,” Mohling said. “He’s got a servant heart, plus he’s a good leader.”
Because of that dedication, Bill Duclos is Denver7 and Levine Law’s newest Denver7 Everyday Hero.
“It’s quite an honor, and there’s a lot of people in need,” Duclos said. “And that’s what it’s all about, helping people.”
Duclos said he hopes the red kettle campaign continues to remind people that help is available and that generosity, even in small amounts, can have a big impact.
The Salvation Army is still looking for volunteers to help ring bells through Christmas Eve. Shifts are typically two hours long, and volunteers can sign up online through The Salvation Army’s Colorado website. Those interested can also contact their local Salvation Army Corps in Broomfield for more information on available bell-ringing locations and times.
Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department responded to the crash at 4:11 p.m. at 1700 W. Uintah St. after a truck into the parking lot, started speeding eastbound toward the building and crashed through the exterior wall.
Six people, including the driver, were taken to the hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life threatening, the agency said on social media.
The driver is cooperating with the investigation, and officers believe the crash was an accident, according to the fire department.
Everybody likes to save money, and saving money on groceries—a household’s third-largest expense—is a priority for many families, especially during uncertain economic times.
Denver7’s Smart Shopper aims to help families save on grocery costs by tracking prices at four major supermarkets in the Denver metro area.
Each Wednesday, we’ll update our Smart Shopper Price Check with the latest prices of nine essential grocery items from King Soopers, Safeway, Walmart, and Target.
Here is the latest Denver7 Smart Shopper Price Check from October 8, 2025. See the results below, or view them in full screen here.
This week, two grocery chains increased their prices slightly, while Safeway saw a decrease and Target remained unchanged.
However, overall totals have remained relatively stable over the past 23 comparisons, particularly for prices of several staple items.
🥇 FIRST PLACE
Despite a 30 cents increase over last week, Walmart secured the top position again, with a total of ► $25.37 for nine items.
Week after week for the past 23 weeks, the nation’s largest retailer has proven itself the undisputed price leader, making chasing sales unnecessary.
🥈 SECOND PLACE
King Soopers came in second place, with a total of ► $28.31, 30 cents higher than last week’s total.
Once a steady third-place finisher behind Target, King Soopers’ current pricing strategy has helped it maintain the runner-up position more frequently.
🥉 THIRD PLACE
Target came in third, with a total of ► $28.51, exactly the same as last week.
While the Minneapolis-based retailer had been gradually raising prices on some staples, overall costs remain moderately low and stable.
🏅 FOURTH PLACE
Safeway came in last place again this week with a total of ► $30.49, which is nearly $2 less than last week.
Although it consistently ranks at the bottom in these Smart Shopper comparisons, Safeway still pursues a competitive pricing approach, relying heavily on sales, particularly for meat products.
Denver7 Smart Shopper: This week’s grocery price winners and losers
Remember to utilize digital coupons and loyalty programs for extra savings.
The items we compared are all store brands and are as follows:
2% milk (1 gallon)
Loaf of wheat bread (sandwich)
Skinless chicken breast value pack (price per pound)
Non-tubed ground beef 80/20 (price per pound)
Dozen eggs (large A or AA)
Toasted oats cereal (12 ounces)
Creamy peanut butter (16 ounces)
Bag of baby carrots (16 ounces)
Box of four butter sticks (16 ounces)
Coloradans making a difference | Denver7 featured videos
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LITTLETON, Colo. — Multiple businesses at a Littleton shopping center were evacuated Sunday afternoon following an electric vehicle fire.
Crews with South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) responded to a parking lot at 100 W. Littleton Boulevard on a report of a Nissan Leaf on fire around noon.
Update: Current SMFR and EPA response protocol is to let the vehicle burn to cause less of a hazardous environmental impact. No danger to the community. pic.twitter.com/DNfaglTV8l
SMFR said evacuations were issued as a precaution, as there have been no reports that the fire had spread.
However, SMFR said a large amount of smoke was visible in the area.
No injuries or damage to surrounding businesses were reported.
SMFR was requesting that the public avoid the area.
In an update posted to X, the agency stated that crews allowed the vehicle to burn to mitigate any environmental impact and then placed a fire blanket over the car before it was towed.
Businesses in the surrounding area reopened after air monitoring was completed.
Electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries can catch fire if the batteries short-circuit and begin to overheat.
The cause of this EV fire is under investigation.
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Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what’s right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.
Too few parking spaces, lengthy queues for open spots, cramped designs that can’t handle crowds — Denver-area drivers brace themselves for headaches when they try to navigate the most stress-inducing parking lots in the city and beyond.
The Denver Post went searching for the worst parking lots in metro Denver, with help from more than 100 people who weighed in with their opinions in an informal survey on social media platforms X and Facebook. Within Denver’s city limits, older central neighborhoods like Capitol Hill — where space is at a premium — host parking lots that received an onslaught of criticism.
But that doesn’t mean suburban communities are immune to precarious parking set-ups.
Poor parking lot experiences can affect drivers’ loyalty to a business, one expert says. Consumers are constantly forming judgments about brands, so “parking is one of the critical elements for brands to get right,” said Brent Coker, a marketing lecturer at the University of Melbourne.
“Everything that happens to a consumer informs their attitude, which defines their future behavior,” including purchase decisions made minutes later, the Australian said. “If the carpark sucks, then yeah — that’s gonna give someone a negative attitude.”
Here are the parking lots that stand out the most in Denver:
1. Trader Joe’s urban locations
Grocery store chain Trader Joe’s has two Denver locations in older neighborhoods, with small lots that challenge drivers in Capitol Hill on Logan Street and in Hale on Colorado Boulevard.
“It’s no secret that Trader Joe’s parking lots are a nightmare,” said customer Rob Toftness, 42. “You add in their tight quarters with drivers’ inability to behave like adults, and you have a difficult recipe.”
On a rainy Monday afternoon, shoppers weren’t deterred from completing their errands at the Capitol Hill store. They stepped in front of cars waiting for openings in the lot. Drivers tried to squeeze into narrow spots, parking haphazardly before darting into the store themselves.
Four cars were queued in the left lane on Logan Street, turn signals blinking as they waited to enter.
However, for cyclists and pedestrians, the store is a breeze to navigate. Toftness, a Five Points resident, opts to ride his bike along the 7th Avenue bikeway, then locks it at the bike rack while he shops.
In an episode of the company’s podcast, Inside Trader Joe’s, co-host Matt Sloan said, “We don’t open stores with the world’s most ridiculous parking lot on purpose.” The size of a Trader Joe’s lot is based on the store’s square footage, with the chain’s locations often smaller than the average grocery store, especially when they’re squeezed into older neighborhoods.
“Stores of a more recent vintage — more recently open stores — have larger parking lots when we can get them,” Sloan added.
Trader Joe’s spokesperson Nakia Rohde declined to respond further.
A shopper exits a King Soopers grocery store on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in Capitol Hill in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
2. King Soopers in Capitol Hill
The King Soopers grocery store on East Ninth Avenue leaves local customers lamenting the amount of time it can take to secure a parking spot in the main lot.
Those who choose to park in the overflow lot are also inconvenienced, as the anti-theft wheel locks on shopping carts engage at the edges of the main lot, forcing patrons to carry their groceries across a busy street. Nine cars idled in the parking lot on a Monday afternoon, as drivers tried to park or back out of spots.
Kara King, 33, said she’s never secured a parking spot on her first go-round.
“You constantly have to circle the lot, waiting for one to open up,” the Speer neighborhood resident said. “Otherwise, your option is to park on the street and haul your groceries to your car.”
King Soopers spokesperson Jessica Trowbridge didn’t respond to requests for comment.
3. Whole Foods Market in Cherry Creek
At the Whole Foods Market on East First Avenue in Cherry Creek, customers’ criticisms are largely directed at its lot design.
“Whole Foods in Cherry Creek is awful,” said customer Krista Chism, 48. “All the spaces are designed for compact cars.”
She called the lanes “too narrow,” which heightens the risk of hitting another vehicle parked behind her car while reversing. When she visits, “I seriously weigh the cost of paying to park against the possible cost of someone hitting my car,” the Park Hill resident said.
The Whole Foods media team didn’t respond to a request for comment.
4. Denver Botanic Gardens
Visiting the Denver Botanic Gardens often comes with parking difficulties on busy weekends, despite a dedicated parking garage. The gardens are most heavily trafficked by guests during events, including Blossoms of Light, Glow at the Gardens, the Spring Plant Sale and the Summer Concert Series, said Erin Bird, associate director of communications. Popular times for visitors also include warm, sunny weekends and Scientific and Cultural Facilities District free days.
Bird said representatives understood visitors’ parking frustrations and urged guests to take extra time to secure parking in either the garage or the surrounding neighborhood.
“The Gardens’ multi-level parking structure was designed to maximize the limited space we have due to our location that borders city parks in an established residential neighborhood,” she said. “Timed entry has eased some of the parking strain.”
Denver’s flagship REI store on the South Platte River, pictured on Sept. 11, 2012, has a front surface lot (shown), an underground garage and auxiliary lots. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post)
5. REI Co-op’s flagship store
The REI Co-Op Denver flagship store on Platte Street near downtown is the source of consistent parking gripes, including tight spaces, incidents of bike theft and the price to pay to park for lengthy shopping trips (after a 90-minute grace period).
Patrons say the outdoor co-op attracts the most crowds during the weekend, but that doesn’t mean its ground-level parking areas don’t fill up at times during the week, too. On a recent Wednesday evening, the metered street parking was also mostly occupied as a few customers dashed across the busy street to the former Denver Tramway Powerhouse building that now houses the retail chain.
The REI store earns 4.5 out of 5 stars on Google reviews, but at least 20 one-star reviews mention parking troubles. The designs of one surface parking lot and the underground garage are noted as cramped. One reviewer wrote: “The store itself really is great. But PLEASE fix the parking.”
The REI media team didn’t respond to a request for comment.
What about the suburbs?
Outside of Denver, plenty of parking lots throughout the metro area give shoppers and visitors grief, too. Here are some notable ones:
Costco: The warehouse club chain’s locations in Lone Tree, on Park Meadows Center Drive, and in Arvada, on Wadsworth Boulevard, draw particular complaints about parking lots that rattle the nerves. Costco stores face guff elsewhere, too: On Reddit, a thread asking the question “What’s your Costco’s parking lot situation?” has garnered hundreds of responses. Objections include waiting for spots during busy shopping hours and aggression in parking lots, such as honking, cursing and even car accidents. The Costco media team didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Construction workers pour concrete in the upper parking lot at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre on Feb. 6, 2024, in Morrison. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Red Rocks Amphitheatre: The Denver-owned venue is considered the pride and joy of the local music scene — but its parking, not so much. After a packed concert, drivers can look forward to sitting in their vehicles for long periods as they inch toward the venue’s exits. And they can’t turn to public transportation either — although that could change if a proposal for public shuttles to and from a nearby light rail stop in Golden gains traction.
This year’s Red Rocks season kicked off in April, but the venue used the offseason to pave some lots, increase roadside parking, and install new sidewalks and lighting to the south lots, Denver Arts & Venues spokesperson Brian Kitts said. The city also plans to add bathroom facilities and some covered spaces for patrons.
“Being in a city park, especially one with property in National Historic Landmark status, means that what Red Rocks can do with parking is fairly limited,” Kitts said. “New lots, new entrances and new roads through the foothills aren’t feasible, so visitors will continue to rely on the patience and kindness of fellow concert goers for ingress and egress.”
Is there a bad parking lot we missed? Tell us about it!
